The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1887-06-24

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his table; but tell me, We who know most
Of the worlds history, what other King
ever asked the abandoned, and the for
lorn, and the wretchel, and the outcast,
to come and sit down b,siie him. Oh.
wonderful Invitation. You can take it to-
day, and stand 1T the head of the darkest
alley in this city, and say:
Gomez Clothes for your rags, salve for Jour
sores, throne for your eternal regning.
I pass on now, and look at stephen
stoned. The world has always wanted TO
get rid of good men. Their very life is
an assault upon wickedness. Out with
Stephen through the gates of the city.
Down with him over the precipices. Let
every man come AMI drop a stone upon
his head. But these men did not so uch
kill Stephen as they killed themselves.
Every stone rebounded upon them.
While these murderers were trans
fixed by the scorn of all good
men, Stephen lives in the admira-
ton of all Christeudom. Stephen
| stoned, but Stephen alive. So all good
| men must be pelted. All who will live
godlv in Christ Jesus must suffer p.rse-
| cution- 1t is no eulogy of man 20 say
| that every BODY likes him. Show me one
| who is doing all his duty to State or
Snurcn- anu VIII snow J GU scores Cl IISn
who utterly abhor him.
If all men sneak well of you II is be-
cause YOU are either laggard or dolt
| II a steamer makes rapid progress
| through the waves the water Will boil and
| foam all around it. Brave soldiers Of
Jesus Christ Will hear the carbine's click
When see man with voice, and money.
and Influence all on the right side, and
! some caricature him, and some sheer at
| him, and some denounce him, and men
who pretend to be actuated by right mo-
| tives conspire TO cripple him, to cast him
out. to destroy him, l say: stephen
stoned
| When see a man in some great moral
| or rel gious form batting against grog-
shops, exposing wicke1ness in high
places. by active means trying to purify
the church and better the worlds estate,
and find that the newspapers anathenat-
ice him, and men. even good men, oppose
him and denounce him, becaus :, though he
| does good. he does not do 1t i'll their way.
| say: stephen stencil
The word, with infinite spite. took after
John Frederick Oberliu. and Robert Mof-
F, fat, and Paul and Stephen of the text.
| But you notice, my friends. that while
they assaulted him thew did not succeed
really in killing him You may assault a
good man. but you can not kill him. Ga
the day of his death Stephen spoke be-
fore few pc pie in the Sanheirim: this
Sabbath morning he addresses ali Chris
tendon. Paul the apostle stood on Mars
Hill addressing handful of philosophers.
who knew not so much about science
as moiern schoolgirl. Today he talks
to all the millions of Christie ndom about
the wonders of Justification and the
glcries of resurrection. John Wesley
was howied down by the mob to whom he
preached. and they threw bricks at him.
and they denounced him. and they jostlei
him, and tn az spat upon him. and yet to
dav, in all lands. he Is admitted To be the
great father of Methodism Booths bull
let vacated the Presidential chair. but
from that spot of coagulated blood on the
floor in the box of Forts Theater there
sprang up the new life of a nation.
Stephen stoned. but Stephen alive.
Pass on now and see Stephen in his
| dying prayer. His first thought was not
how the stones hurt his head. nor what
| became of his body. His first thong ht
was about his spirit.
Lord Jesus. receive my spirit.
The murderer standing on the trap
door. the black cap being drawn over his
head before the execution. may grimace
| about the future: but you and l have no
| shame in cC.lfeS sing some anxiety about
| where we are going to come out You are
not all body. There is within you soul.
see it CLEAN from your eyes to-day, and
| [ see it irridlating your c,untenance.
| sometimes | am abashed before an audi,
eace, not because l am under your phys
! zeal eyesight. but because l realize the
| truth that stand before so many immor-
| tai spirits. The probability is that your
body Will at last find sepulture in
some of the cemeteries that surround
this city. There Is no doubt but that
your obsaoGies VIII he decelt and
| respectful, and YOU will be able to
pillow your head unIer the n iple. or the
Norway spruce. or the cypress. or the
blesso-ing fire but this spirit about
| which Stephen prayed. what direction
| will that take. What guide VIII escort it:
What gate will open TO receive il: VIVA;
cloud will be cleft for its pathway. After
it has got beyond the light of our sun,
will there be torches Lighted for il the
rest of the way' Will the soul have &c
travel through long deserts before i,
reaches the good land, If we should lose
our pathway will there be castle a,
I
! city. this mysterious spirit within Us
1t has two wings, but it is in cage now
1t is locked fast to keep it. but let the
door of this case open the least, and tina.
soul is of. Eagles wing could not catch
| it The nghtniags are not swift enough
| TO take up with it. When the soul leaves
the body It takes fifty worlds at a
bound. And have l no anxiety
about it, Have you no anxiety about It'll
l do not care what you do with my body
when my soul is gone, or whether you be-
lieve in cremation or Inflammation. shall
sleep just as well in a wrappin g Of sack
cloth as in satin lined with eagles down.
But M soul-before l leave this house
tLis morning l will find out where it is
going to land. Thank God for the intima-
ton of my text, that when we die Jesus
takes Us. That answers all questions for
ne. What though there were massive
| bars between here aud the city Of light
Jesus could remove them. What though
there We're great Saharas OF darkness.
Jesus could Hume them. What though
| get weary on the way, Christ could lift
me on his en- .ipoteSt shoulder. What
| though there were chasms to cross his
hand could transport me. Then let Steph
ems prayer be my dying litany:
! Lord Jesus, receive Ely spirit
1t may De in that hour we will be too
feeble TO say a long prayer. 1t may be h
that hour we viii not be able to say the
Lords Prayer" for it has seven peti.
tons Perhaps we may be too feeble even
| to say the infant prayer our mothers
| taught Us. which John Quincy Adams,
seventy years OF age. sail every light
| When he put his head upon his pillow:
Now lsy me down 20 sleep.
Ipray the Lord ry soul TO keep.
| We lay re too feeble to employ either
| If ,hssa IA ", liar FIRMS INIT this nravar al